


The Dance of Apoporax V

by PaleEmeraldNebula



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-07-30
Packaged: 2017-12-21 22:22:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaleEmeraldNebula/pseuds/PaleEmeraldNebula
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After finally growing their TARDIS and exploring their new universe, the Metacrisis Doctor decides to take Rose someplace special. Only he won’t tell her what for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dance of Apoporax V

The perfectly blue varnished door opened with a familiar creak. Rose took a few steps out from the police box, feeling the same way as she always did when stepping out onto a new planet: excitement, curiosity, anticipation, and exhilaration. Those emotions played across her face as she looked around in awe.

“This is,” Rose couldn’t find the right adjective so she picked the first to pop into her mind, “this is amazing!”

The Metacrisis Doctor stepped out of the blue police box behind her, studying his surroundings with a look of displeasure. She felt him take her hand without pause. “I’m a bit disappointed really, looks the same as the one in the other universe.”

The sky above them was filled with stars, nearby planets, and a colorful nebula that seemed to take the place of an atmosphere. The city before them was littered with just as much color. Crystalline buildings climbed skyward in delicate swirls, each one unique. Hanging from anywhere and everywhere were fabrics of ever fiber, pattern, and stitching. And in-between those buildings, people of all shapes and sizes went about their business, ignoring the strange blue box that had just randomly appeared.

Rose was too enamored with the place to pay much attention to the Doctor’s moaning. “What’s this place called?”

“Apoporax V, though before that it was Beeglot. The Roxconians took over this system, oh, about five hundred years ago and renamed all the planets. Well, at least in the other universe. Could be called Pukka here for all I know.”

Rose lifted her nose and sniffed as discreetly as she could. “What’s that smell?”

The Doctor gave her a silly grin. “That is the smell of the annual Couple’s Fest.”

Rose furrowed her brows and turned to stare at him. The Doctor would never take her to a place considered romantic, or couple-y. For a boyfriend, he was sort of rubbish. “Couple’s Fest?”

“Yep. The people here hold it every year in celebration of those who dedicate their lives to each other. The culture of Apoporax V is centered on love and romance. Tended to avoid this place when possible, gets a bit weird, though they have a really tasty soup.”

The Doctor sounded too indifferent in his description. He also wasn’t looking directly at her as he spoke. Rose could tell something was up. She would play along for now and wiggle out his scheming later. “So let’s stop and get some soup. I’m starvin’.”

“Actually, thought you might like to try out the festivities. There should be a dance at that large blue-ish building just over there.” He leaned in close and pointed to a far off cluster of tall buildings, each reaching up in cool colors until the center building radiated a deep sapphire blue.

“This a proper date then?” Rose bit her lip, too giddy at the prospect.

“What? I thought all our trips were dates.” He looked hurt, though Rose knew better.

Rose nudged him playfully. “Only you would say that.”

He smiled again, “Allonsy?”

“Lead the way, my Doctor.” Rose returned his bright smile, knowing that even if a monster popped out of the nearest corner, just the idea that the Doctor was trying to be romantic, finally, was enough to make her day.

They walked through the streets, stopping every now and then at a shop. The Doctor had to tell her every detail about the culture of the planet from every little item on display. A small glass vase was the typical gift for a first date, a metal rod was given later in life, and a squishy ball filled with mysterious florescent liquid was actually a request for procreation. The food sold had to be the brightest of colors, or else people thought you were trying to poison them. Rose began to wonder how the Doctor knew all these things if he didn’t like to come here much. She silently laughed at the idea of the Doctor coming here before, alone, just for the soup. How often did he come here just for the soup?

The trek to the far off blue buildings was so immensely enjoyable that it felt like no time at all had passed when they finally arrived. And Rose felt her breath catch at the sight before her. The blue buildings actually glowed blue, slowly changing from a dark purple to a light cerulean. White flowers encircled the courtyard of the building while large rolls of silver and gold lined silks of every color spilled out of the windows. The silks danced gently in the wind, almost as if they were alive, following and sometimes wrapping around the dancers that gathered at the entrance. The sound that filled the air was soft, mellow, and uplifting with just an underscore of passion.

The Doctor shocked Rose out of her stupor by whispering in her ear, “Care for a dance?”

Before Rose could answer he pulled her into the circle of dancers, spun her around, and began to move with the music. She was too thunderstruck to speak and instead decided to get lost in the moment. He pressed her close for a chorus, running a hand down her back, and dipping his head into the crook of her neck before pushing her away, holding her just by the tips of their fingers. He then began the process all over again. Once the song changed, they didn’t stop. This time the dance included stepping side to side, with a twirl, either in close contact or by arms length. Rose didn’t even notice when the fabric from the building’s windows wrapped around the two of them mid-dance, hugging them both close. When she did notice, she couldn’t suppress a laugh.

“Having fun?” Though the Doctor was grinning, with the cloth around them, there was something deep and intense lingering in his eyes.

“I would say, I would definitely say.” She smiled back at him before slowing down.

Rose forgot to continue the dance, completely captured by the Doctor’s stare. His eyes were full of something strange, alien, and powerful. She wasn’t scared, because there was love and warmth there too. She felt him grip her tighter and her heart began to beat faster. She clenched her fists that were resting on his chest. His eyes traveled to her lips. He began to lean in, gingerly closing his eyes…

Suddenly another dancer engulfed them in a big, happy hug.

“Congratulations! To us! To us all!” The woman shouted.

Rose and the Doctor broke apart, the fabric binding them together now gone. Rose was more than a little confused. She felt something had just happened. Something she should know about.

“Congratulations? What for?”

The woman lifted her arms up in the air, shouting her glee. “For your life-long declaration of commitment and love!”

Now Rose was flabbergasted. “What, you mean like marriage?”

“Yes, yes! Of course!” The woman floated away from them, completely oblivious to anything else.

Rose rounded on the Doctor who was rubbing his neck, gazing at the sky, trying his best to look innocent.

“Did we-did we just get married?” She wanted to be happy, instead she felt really, really upset.

“Well,” The Doctor dragged out the L, trying to stall. “Yes. But just on this planet. Well, just in the Roxconian Empire, which consists of five planets, six solar systems, a cluster of stars, and a galaxy. That’s not very big in the scheme of things.” He sounded nonchalant, but Rose knew he knew he was in big trouble.

“What about my Mum? And my Dad? Tony? I wanted them to be at my wedding. The whole point of weddings is that you let the people you love know you’re pledging yourself to someone.”

“I thought everyone already knew that about us? Nothing’s changed really. Just a bit of pomp and circumstance.”

Rose was speechless, she tried to get the words out, but all that came from her mouth were odd noises. Finally anger took over. “Pomp and circumstance? Pomp and circumstance?!”

Before Rose could explode in her fury, the Doctor quickly added. “We can do the Earth ceremony if you want. Though, I’m terrible at weddings, always thought the ones on Earth were too complicated. Or we don’t have to do the Earth ceremony. Just need your family, right?” The Doctor’s excitement grew with each word. Gradually he was becoming on edge and capricious. “We could gather them in the TARDIS and go to Corptoeia. The weddings there are a cakewalk, with really good cake. Cake on a cakewalk! Think of it as a family trip! A nice Tyler family trip! Though that means I finally have to admit how far I’ve fallen. What do you say?”

Rose had gone still as the Doctor spoke, not really sure she understood him. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

He stood just as frozen as she was and softly he asked, “That a problem?”

The immense fear and nervousness she saw in the Doctor wrung out all of Rose’s anger. He was honestly asking her to marry him after they were already married. Sighing internally, she always knew this was going to be the way with the Doctor. “Alright, but you have to pay!”

The relief on both their faces was immediate. Since they were still in the middle of the dance and had completely forgotten about the dozen other couples now surrounding and staring at them, their cheers caught them both off guard.

The Doctor grinned and scanned the crowd, “Oh, look, we have an audience.” Raising his voice he yelled to the onlookers, “Oi! Ever heard of privacy! Go back to dancing!” He then spoke to Rose, “Why? Why do I have to pay?”

Together they began to walk away from the dance. “If we’re doin’ an alien wedding, you gotta pay. Unless you want to explain to my mum.”

**Author's Note:**

> Not Beta'd.


End file.
